Minto Roy - Career - Recruitment Blog

1. Corporate Downsizing by large multi-national companies. If you are a small company, this is the best time to pursue talent within your industry who have great contacts, experience, and competitive intelligence. Many well networked professionals who may have been unaffordable in the past are now looking beyond the corporate giants to entrepreneurial small businesses. Those with decent severance packages in hand can justify taking a salary cut and investing in your company’s growth plan and potential.

2. Large companies reducing staff run the risk of diminishing service quality to their clients. Reduced staff and fewer resources could mean that existing clients accustomed to premium service might be disappointed to learn that the representatives whom they always dealt with are gone. It’s a great time to pursue these clients who might now consider moving their business to your small business and deal directly with the owner.

3. Public support. In this era of corporate bailouts, outlandish corporate salaries and rollercoaster stock dips, the strength of small business and a customer’s access to the actual business owner is comforting to the public and consumer market. The public has far more trust in the mom and pop shop businesses than the corporate giants responsible for the plummeting stock market.

4. Small business is nimble and reactive. Corporate giants have thrown down their anchors in their attempts to ride the economic storm. Millions of “No More Spending Memos” have been sent across North America, corporate layoffs, salary rollback, no more travel, no more client lunches, dinners etc… Large corporations are making it harder for their sales staff to close new business. Small business can strategically target key clients traditionally held by the corporate giants. Small business can react and create innovative approaches, incentivise their sales reps to travel the red-eye and take advantage of every opportunity available to close new deals.

5. Global Thinking. Small business can initiate and launch into new markets, globally, where consumer markets want or need their products. Large corporations require significant re-structuring, re-tooling and significant capital to pursue new markets. Small business can decide tomorrow if they want to expand globally. No red tape required, small business comes with the freedom to hire an agent or a representative in China or India to sell their products via agent agreement and become international overnight.

So let the newspapers continue to grow their businesses and sell newspapers with negative stories of rampant layoffs, restructurings, large business contract cancellations and the decline of the corporate giants. It is all good news for small business.

Minto Roy / Partner
RevGen/www.revenuegeneration.ca
CareersToday Canada / www.careerstodaycanada.com

Posted by minto at 04:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Take this Recruitment and Retention Test. – By Minto Roy President of Careers Today Canada and Founding Partner, RevGen

First off, let's be honest.

The employment market is in incredible change. Mixed messages surround companies and jobseekers that make both sides of the hiring desk extremely confused and uncertain.

Just a few months ago newspapers screamed of 1000's of jobs going unfilled. The labour-market was red-hot. Now these same news mediums feature movie-trailer-panic-ridden headlines about the doom of our economy and report thousands of lay-offs.

Jobseekers became very accustomed to having the choice of multiple employers vying for their services. They developed a casual arrogance that comes from being “chased” and never having to “chase”. But that same jobseekers must now realize that no one is chasing them, no-one is waiting around the corner to offer them a great new job.

Folks, the world has changed.

General Motors is threatening bankruptcy, we have an African-American President and my monthly gas payments are more than my monthly car payments.

There are still tremendous opportunities in this marketplace. However, jobseekers must now learn how to effectively and competitively market themselves to land a great new career. But, a warning to employers who have started to feel too comfortable about this employment market-swing. This is now, a more vital time for your company to develop a tactical strategy to recruit and retain talent.
Many companies have in-fact downsized. Thousands of professionals across Canada are searching for new jobs. However, companies have been careful to retain their most talented staff and let go employees that were expendable or did not perform.

Employers looking to hire talent must now weed through hundreds of more unqualified applicants to find the right candidate and the right fit. Without a recruitment plan, resources or expertise, managers may find that they may spend more time hiring the wrong person. During the red-hot labour, the worst thing was simply, that you could not find anyone! Remember, that hiring the wrong person is far more expensive and destructive to your company than hiring no-one

So with the realization on how important a hiring and retention strategy is, take this test to determine how well
prepared your company is to find and keep the best talent.
Answer each question honestly and remember that most employers state that there number one asset is their people. Yet when asked to outline their market-competitive strategy to recruit and retain the best people, many avoid the question or simply have no response.

Each question is based on a scale from 1 to 10, ten being the highest.

At the bottom of this article I will give you the average score out of 40, from hundreds of managers that I have interviewed from my 15 years of working with companies helping them recruit and retain talent.

Question 1:

During business hours what is the percentage of time, you or your managers allocate to assessing, sourcing and engaging talent for your company’s competitive growth?
I have found that most small to medium size business owners work 50-70 hours a week. They are frantically distracted with operations, employee issues, payables, receivables, selling, marketing, sweeping the floors, signing the checks, PAPERWORK! The time left to look at resumes is often relegated to after-hours or weekends. Hours when energy levels are at their lowest or are being shared with family obligations.
Jobseekers should note that there is probably a lot of resume screening during kid’s soccer and hockey games.
But seriously, if great people are truly the most important asset to your company, why then do most managers given them the least energetic, non- focused hours for screening and consideration?

Question 2:

How deep and well developed are your sources to find talent?
I am not speaking about posting a job on Craig’s list and waiting for hundreds of resume submissions. I am referring to a consistent strategy develop a deep bullpen of talent through corporate networking. A consistent plan to meet talented professionals and take interest in their career objectives, recognizing matches to your corporate objectives. Remember, the talent that you want is probably working. They have no need to look at posting boards and are uncomfortable sending confidential resumes to general emails.
So how well developed is your talent bullpen?

Question 3:

How strong are your interview and engagement skills?
Remember when you are interviewing, that talented professionals are probably meeting with multiple companies. Most employers however, have very limited professional interview training and lack a sincere engagement strategy to understand what motivates and how to motive talented jobseekers. Most entrepreneurs have tremendous passion and work ethic but lack communication skills to sell the vision of their job opportunity within a competitive marketplace.

Question 4

How well developed are your retention strategies: employee training and development, succession planning, recognition and rewards, life-balance, mentorship programs, etc…?
After meeting thousands of jobseekers, I have come to realize that their number one reason for seeking a new career is as a result of a lack of communication between themselves and managers. It is not enough simply to hire talent. It is equally as important to retain, develop and ensure that your employees understand how their career objectives relate to the company’s objectives. Remember, people don’t leave companies, people leave managers who lack the time to development and recognize their employees.
What was your total score out of 40?

These questions were not designed to be easy. Most entrepreneurs and managers realize after this test that they simply don't have a great strategy in place. I have had hundreds of managers take this test. Managers from multi-national corporations to start-up companies consistently have scored about 15 out of 40.

A failing grade.

What might surprise you is that the higher up the corporate ladder that I have surveyed the lower the score. I believe corporate leaders answer these questions truly believing that their competitive edge in business is in-fact their people. They are very tough on their self assessment and are always looking to improve. They are fully aware that the war for top talent is constant, regardless of the economy!
Admitting where they are weak and getting the help they need to find a solution is why they are vested with great responsibility. This strategy will work for success in life, not just with corporate recruitment.
I will follow-up this article next month with some concrete ideas on how your business can attract, secure and retain the most talented professionals. There is no magic pill coming, these ideas will require; research, diligence, practice, consistency but they will work.

I welcome you to try the ideas and give me feedback.

After all, it’s only the most important part of your business.

Minto Roy
President
RevGen / Careers Today Canada
www.revenuegeneration.com / www.careerstodaycanada.com

Posted by minto at 03:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

1. Make a commitment to really go after that great career!

Don’t grab the first low hanging offer that waves a few dollars at you. A committed job search requires focus, strategy and unrelenting dedication until the objective is achieved.

2. Drastically increase your career options by targeting opportunities in the SME Market.

Small to Medium Size Enterprises represent approx. 95% of companies in the economy, therefore, they do 95% of the hiring, but these companies are often ignored or unknown to most job seekers.

3. Create powerful skills and achievement narratives.

Narratives are exciting short-burst descriptions of your skills and achievements used in your resume and overall marketing campaign. Narratives must be compelling and unique to showcase your value to employers. Stay away from cliché’s and vague statements like, “I’m a people person, team player, honest and hardworking, loyal and looking for a challenge.”

4. Showcase your future not your past

Send hiring managers future-focused resumes not past-focused documents. Hiring managers are far more interested in what you can do for them in the future than what you have done in the past. But the only thing typical resumes talk about is…hmm, your past.

5. Work your job search strategy from the top down, not bottom up

Try networking or securing interviews two levels up from your income level. If you’re looking for a job at 50K, you better interview with people who make 80-100K. They are the ones who make the final decision to hire you. If you are looking for a job at 100K, it’s hard to believe the person in HR earning 50 K can make the decision to hire you.

6. Prepare for your interviews with the same intensity as you did for your University finals.

On average, most jobseekers spend 1-2 hours preparing for an interview that may change their lives, yet most spent days studying for their University final exams.

7. Network consistently and with sincere engagement

Never ask a company if they are hiring! Only by taking a sincere interest in a company’s goals and challenges will they then take a sincere interest in your career objectives.

8. Negotiate the entire package when you get an offer.

Salary, benefits, performance bonuses, stock options, paid vacations, review assessments, training allowances, flex hours, ++ Most jobseekers are either too scared to counter offer or don’t know all the perks available in this red-hot job market by employers hungry for talent.

9. Your career is where you spend the majority of your day! Hire a professional to help you land that great career.

Your friends and family may have the very best intentions but do they really have the time, market insight and resources to ensure that you get that great career? The right career expert will provide years of expertise, market insight and resources AND hold you accountable to help you land that great career. So, have a beer with your buddies, but do not rely on them to be your primary source of job search advice.

10. Finally, Just do it! What have you got to lose?

If you’re not happy with your current job, then take the chance to go after something better. If it doesn’t work out, you won’t have any problem finding a job that you don’t want, the market is full of them. In-fact, you don’t even need any of the last nine tips to get a job you don’t like!

Minto Roy
President
Careerstoday Canada
www.careerstodaycanada.com

Posted by minto at 06:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Employment World doesn’t need another boring resume.

Here are Top 5 Things Not to Do when creating a competitive resume to set yourself apart from your competition. But first a quick ‘Marketing 101 lesson for jobseekers,

“If you are trying to set yourself apart from other jobseekers in the marketplace, don’t market yourself with the exact same methodology as the rest of your competition and hope to stand out.”

Most jobseekers traditionally use a resume to showcase their value. The resume showcases their past accomplishments, past experiences and past education. However, after speaking with hundreds of hiring managers, I am reminded that these managers are far more interested in what a candidate can do for them in the future, not what they have done in the past.

However, only a fraction of the resume focuses on the jobseeker’s future. The “objective section”, usually the lead paragraph, is the only part of the resume that contains any information about the jobseeker’s future objective. But most objective statements are vague and contain never ending clichés.

Objective: “seasoned professional looking for a dynamic and challenging position with a growth oriented company. A great team player, willing to work hard, flexible, loyal, etc…”

In hopes of being unique most job seekers provide employers with identically formatted marketing documents and statements hoping to set themselves apart as being unique. So here are 5 Things Not to Do when trying to create a unique resume

Number One

Don’t be too general and say the same things as every other job seeker.
Employers assume that you are honest, loyal and a team player. No employer disqualifies you right away and says, “Hey, this guy didn’t say he was honest, hardworking and loyal in his resume, he’s out!”

Number Two

Don’t assume that your resume has to showcase every one of your experiences and accomplishments.

Including everything you’ve done in your career doesn’t increase your odds of getting the job or another job at the company. Don’t hope that employers might look deeper at your qualification and figure out that you are qualified for another opportunity within the company.

Number Three

Don’t use words that are long term or process oriented words when describing your achievements. Use a short term, action oriented bursts. Write dialogue to attract the reader’s interest and emotions.

Number Four

Don’t go back more than a decade with your experiences and achievements. Even that’s a long time. Respectfully, not many people care about what you did ten years ago…It’s over. Remember, keep the focus of your resume on what you can do in the future.

Number Five

Make the end of the resume count. Remember, most people remember what they read at the beginning and at the end. End uniquely, by creating an exciting explanation of your passions and interests outside of work.

The end of your resume should provide employers insight into your competitive drive, your creativity, your commitment to charity, volunteer work, how you might save the world!

Be bold, be creative, use the final part of your resume to compel the hiring manager to want to meet the professional and the personality behind the document.

Minto Roy
President
CareersToday Canada
www.careerstodaycanada.com
www.mintoroy.net

Listen to Minto on Careers Today Radio. Every week on The Buzz 1410 am Saturdays from 3-4 pm. Past shows available can be downloaded on the Careers Today website.

Posted by minto at 06:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I assume, by your visit to this site and this article that you have a commitment or at least curiosity about positions over 100K. One thing you should know that’s an irrefutable fact.

Very few people make six figures and very few people will ever make six figures consistently.
It’s not because very few people have a talent to earn six figures. In fact, I have met thousands of professionals with the talent, education, experience that exceed those that earn six figures consistently. Most talented professionals simply don’t know how to enter this income bracket and remain consistently there year after year.

One hundred thousand dollars a year seems to represent the holy grail of income levels for most professionals. A validation to themselves, their peers and their families. A badge of recognition in the competitive workforce that you are successful and at the top of your game.
However, this income bracket symbolizes more just money. Personally it represents a level of lifestyle coveted by most people. A chance to live beyond the monthly bills and live a life full of options for you and your family.

Professionally it is viewed as validation by an employer that you are crucial to their organization. Within the company there is enhanced recognition your peers, exciting and important responsibilities are a daily part of your role, there is management opportunities and decision making capacity.

These perks remain elusive to the majority of professionals unless more people learn how to market themselves effectively. Having the right talent, experience and education alone is only part of the battle. An effective and competitive marketing campaign is crucial.
Competing for six figure position comes with an initial realization that this compensation represents the top 2 % of the paying jobs within an employment market. Therefore, looking to get into this market requires a different job search strategy as those being utilized by others making less than six figures. The other 98% of people conducting a job search.
Think about it. Would you market a Lada with the same methodology as Mercedes? Does Starbucks market its five dollar coffee with the same methodology as cafe that sells coffee for a dollar? How a product is marketed is immensely important to the perceived value by the consumer.

So if you are professional looking to secure at six figure position, then remember your the product in a very competitive and complex market. Appreciate that you are competing against other talented products for those 2% of higher bracket jobs. So what’s your marketing strategy? How are you going to differentiate yourself from the other quality products competing against you for the employer?

Most professionals market themselves with a document called a resume, typically a few pieces of paper that outline a jobseekers skills, experiences, achievements and education. A resume is most common form of marketing communications used by job seekers. A document filled with history about a candidates past. However, in speaking with thousands of hiring managers, I’ve come to realize that most are interested in what an employee can do for them in the future, not in the past.

A past history and accomplishments are of course important, but in reality candidates competing at this level are all very good and most great past work histories. A past focused resumes is a very ineffective way to set anyone apart and we know why people use resumes.
Everyone does it and no-one knows what else to do when job hunting.

Mercedes does not rely on marketing their automobile as only fast and with a good warranty. Simply because almost every car over 100K is fast and has a good warranty. Mercedes like all premium products recognizes that marketing given variables and common product features rarely help the consumer select their product.

Consider a simple marketing concept to your job search. If you are trying to divide yourself out from the rest of the market why use the exact same marketing strategy as the rest of the market and hope to be seen as unique? How can the end consumer (the employer), set you apart?

Hiring at six figures has also become extremely difficult for both sides of the hiring desk. Executive Managers have limited time to review resumes and don’t have months to screen candidates, they have hours. Managers are at the mercy of screening candidates through past focused resumes speaking very little about what they bring to their companies future.
It’s crucial that higher bracket professionals initially engage employers with future focused documents and dialogue. Marketing focused on the future. Do not rely on a resume of what has been done in the past. Market the vision of your future and you gain a definitive edge against their competition below and above six figures.

I will follow up with upcoming articles that will hopefully provide insights into getting in and staying in the higher bracket income. Articles related to constructing a value proposition, negotiating six figure salary packages, interviewing questions and answers and the mindset of what executive managers look for when they are hiring their next six figure employee.

The six figure world is truly a world of abundance, not merely about money, but about am abundant belief. A belief to share ideas and information to help others reach their professional and personal goals. I hope this insight propels your career and motivates you to achieve your next level.

There is plenty of room at the top.

Minto Roy
President & CEO
Careers Today Canada
www.careerstodaycanada.com

Posted by minto at 06:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)